Author: jasonmatthewplank
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Motörhead ‘Ace of Spades’ (1980)
There are a few bands in the history of rock and roll that have cultivated a specific style, written that same style ad nauseam, perfected it over time, and yet still have the ability to knock my socks off every time an album of theirs comes on. Off the top of my head there are…
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Ween ‘Quebec’ (2003)
Ween’s eclectic discography isn’t for the faint of heart– described as “bratty deconstructionists of alternative rock”, Ween’s brand of rock took on various forms over the course of two decades, traversing from R&B to pop to rock to lo-fi Indie to country, effortlessly incorporating all of those disparate elements in every single album they released.…
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John Coltrane ‘Giant Steps’ (1960)
There’s a certain innate bravado that comes along with being a jazz player, and naming your album Giant Steps certainly isn’t for the faint of heart unless you’re cocksure you’re damn well gonna deliver. It’s with that sense of swagger jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane entered Atlantic Studios in New York City with during…
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N.W.A. ‘Straight Outta Compton’ (1988)
From the first spoken words of Straight Outta Compton (“You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge”) the tone is set. And as the bars unwind, starting with Ice Cube’s iconic opening line (“Straight outta Compton, crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube / From the gang called N**** with attitudes”), to MC Ren’s…
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Blur ‘Blur’ (1997)
As you can probably imagine I try to expose my two kids to as much different music as possible. Every album I’ve written about over the last 15 months they’ve heard at least one song off of (I start each trip to and from daycare with one song off my album of the day and…
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Future ‘DS2’ (2015)
DS2 kicked off an epic run for Future that saw him release three platinum albums in a row, solidifying him as the face and voice of Atlanta trip hop that has been a constant on the hip hop charts since its genesis in the mid 2010’s. Say what you will about the aesthetic qualities of…
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Gladys Knight & The Pips ‘Imagination’ (1973)
While the Pips are remembered now for their absolute powerhouse of a lead vocalist in Gladys Knight (if you don’t get goosebumps when you hear her belt out “He’s leaving on that midnight train to Georgia” you need to consult with your doctor or priest to confirm you still have a soul), they were known…
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Run D.M.C. ‘Run D.M.C.’ (1984)
Run D.M.C.’s self-titled debut was a watershed moment for hip-hop in many ways and within a historical context has remained one of the most influential hip hop albums to ever be released. It was the first hip hop album to be certified Gold by the RIAA, introduced the first song ever in the rap-rock genre…
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Tom Waits ‘Mule Variations’ (1999)
Tom Waits’ Mule Variations is a backwoods country Delta Blues album masquerading as an art piece, encapsulating much of what has made Waits such an iconic American songwriter for over 50 years. It’s utterly otherworldly in one moment, sounding as if it was recorded after a week-long bender in a humid water-logged shed on the…
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Thrice ‘Identity Crisis’ (2001)
If there’s one band who I’ve truly grown up with throughout the course of my life, enjoying every single one of their permutations and watching as their sonic evolution mirrored that of my own tastes, it is undoubtedly Thrice. Their career is one of epic scope, from their early SoCal skate punk meets Bay Area…
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Boz Scaggs ‘Silk Degrees’ (1976)
Silk Degrees remains one of my personal soft rock powerhouse albums, one of those old go-to’s when you’re looking for an emotional pick me up. It has all the elements that comprise a timeless album– immaculately crafted pop hooks, dynamics you can only get with a live band studio recording, sultry saxophone solos, gallant grooves…
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ScHoolboy Q ‘Oxymoron’ (2014)
When ScHoolboy Q set out to release his first major label record distributed to music retailers (his first two albums were digital only) he had a clear vision of what he was looking to accomplish– a true gangsta rap album in the vein of late 90’s greats like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg that represented…
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In Flames ‘Colony’ (1999)
Swedish heavy metal bangs so damn hard and In Flames 1999 album Colony is no exception. Featuring the piercing vocal growls of lead singer Anders Fridén, the dual attack of guitarists Björn Gelotte and Jesper Strömblad, and the steady rhythm section attack of bassist Peter Iwers and drummer Daniel Svensson, Colony was one of my…
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The Louvin Brothers ‘Tragic Songs of Life’ (1956)
Tragic Songs of Life is the epitome of traditional country music, featuring the aspects that has made the genre an American mainstay for the past 100 years. Two-part harmonies (one low, one high), 3/4 time signatures with a pitter patter of drum brushes, jangly acoustic guitars that skip and bounce between rapid-fire notes, and songwriting…
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As Cities Burn ‘Son I Loved You At Your Darkest’ (2005)
Emo and its tangential offshoots have long been a love of mine (as anyone who has been reading my thoughts on music over the past year and a half have known), and As Cities Burn is one of those deep cut albums which has long cemented itself as a cult-classic personal favorite. There’s a bit…
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The Jimi Hendrix Experience ‘Axis: Bold As Love’ (1967)
Jimi Hendrix’s contributions to the world of guitar players is unparalleled– as perhaps the most celebrated guitarist in the history of rock and roll, he pioneered the use of overdriven high-gain amplifiers, used guitar feedback as a tool (not an undesired element), and altered his tone with fuzz distortion, Uni-Vibe, and wah-wah pedals. These contributions…
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Earl Sweatshirt ‘Some Rap Songs’ (2018)
Some Rap Songs is a study in restraint and artistic performance. Featuring one of hip hop’s most well regarded contemporary lyricists, everything from Earl Sweatshirt on Some Rap Songs feels effortless and yet purposefully designed. His laid back flow, dragging behind the beat in a relatively monotone delivery, sounds like he’s recording in his bedroom…
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Goldfinger ‘Never Look Back’ (2020)
Many will remember Goldfinger for their prominence during the late 90’s with their hits such as “Superman” and “99 Red Balloons” (you’re lying if you claim ignorance of these two songs) as well as their brand of kitschy third-wave-ska meets punk rock. In the years following lead singer and songwriter John Feldmann has made quite…
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Haircut One Hundred ‘Pelican West’ (1982)
Besides bragging rights only I truly care about, one benefit of listening to an album a day for 14 straight months is the exposure you get to music that some of your favorite artists clearly took inspiration from. Which brings us to Haircut One Hundred, a British New Wave act from the early 80’s that…
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Joy Division ‘Unknown Pleasures’ (1979)
Unknown Pleasures is the debut album from English post-punk band Joy Division. Despite not receiving any commercial success during its initial release (no singles were promoted during its release which was absolutely a rarity in the late 70’s) it has received significant critical acclaim in recent years due to its deployment of uncommon recording techniques…
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Bobby Day ‘Rockin’ with Robin’ (1959)
Bobby Day had a long career in R&B after moving to Los Angeles at the age of 15 years old. As a member of The Hollywood Flames in the late 40’s Day received a modicum of success with his first song “Young Girl”, and went on to record under several pseudonyms during his lifetime. He’s…
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LFO ‘LFO’ (1999)
Boy bands were an American institution during the late 90’s. You had the originals who started it all with New Kids on The Block, powerhouses like Boys II Men, Backstreet Boys, and *NSYNC, B-listers like 98 Degrees and Five, and then various offshoots who were clearly following the trend and looking to make a quick…
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Deftones ‘White Pony’ (2000)
I’ve always loved the production sound of Deftones’ White Pony in a way that borders on obsessive — whether it be the crack of the snares, the massively lush electric guitars, lead vocalist Chino Moreno’s haunting vocal performance, and the deep thump of the bass, this is one of the best sounding albums I’ve ever…
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Jack Johnson ‘In Between Dreams’ (2004)
As an alum of UC Santa Barbara (Ole Ole Ole, go Gauchos) I’m pretty sure I’m legally obligated to be a fan of singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. He graduated from UCSB in 1997 and played in the band Soil during his college days, opening for legendary bands like Sublime and Dave Matthews Band before they got…
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Parcels ‘Parcels’ (2018)
The true magic of Parcels is their obsession of seemingly endless repetition that still finds a way to surprise you in the midst of its relative monotony. The candy-coated pop hooks that loop endlessly for three and a half minutes, stacked with instrumental and vocal accoutrement that enhance the flavor of the song with each…
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Hanoi Rocks ‘Two Steps From The Move’ (1984)
As if the album cover didn’t give it away, Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish glam rock band from the 80’s that encapsulated all of the excess of that era unironically. Two Steps From The Move was their breakthrough album in the United States, and with the production guidance of the legendary Bob Ezrin (who worked…
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The Byrds ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ (1965)
The Byrds brand of electric rock paved the way for a generation of American folk musicians to enter the rock and roll genre with a soft landing in the 1960’s. Composed of folk cover songs (four of them penned by the legendary Bob Dylan) and a bevy of originals from guitarist/vocalist Gene Clark, Mr. Tambourine…
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Garbage ‘Garbage’ (1995)
Garbage’s eponymous debut album is basically the aggregation of everything I love about 90’s alternative rock. It’s weird, it’s dark, it’s heavy, and it’s wildly eclectic. When thematic subject matter pokes around the edges of society and combines with musical arrangements that are created to suit the song vs. a specific style it’s a special…
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Blondie ‘Parallel Lines’ (1978)
Blondie’s Parallel Lines is a study in evolution. Originally a punk rock band with their self-titled debut in 1976, Blondie managed to break out of the underground in the US and make the jump into the Top 40 with the release of Parallel Lines. Adopting elements of New Wave and dance pop, while still retaining…
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Big Thief ‘U.F.O.F.’ (2019)
There’s a real beauty in seizing a moment in space that captures a specific period of time. It’s a concept that Big Thief managed to capture during the recording of their third full-length album U.F.O.F. Featuring majestic soundscapes, ethereal vocal melodies, and subtle mood changes that matriculate throughout the entirety of the experience, Big Thief’s…
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Thelonious Monk ‘Brilliant Corners’ (1956)
As one of America’s five jazz musicians to be featured on the cover of Time Magazine (joining the ranks of Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, and Wynton Marsalis) Thelonious Monk’s contributions to American jazz music cannot be overrstated. Along with being the second-most recorded jazz composer in history (behind the aforementioned Duke Ellington), Monk’s…
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Third Eye Blind ‘Third Eye Blind’ (1997)
Third Eye Blind is one of the albums I’ve put off writing about for over a year since I started this project of listening and writing about an album a day for the one distinct reason that it’s an absolutely perfect album. Hard stop. There isn’t a song on here that I skip. I make…
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Screeching Weasel ‘My Brain Hurts’ (1991)
Screeching Weasel is one of those bands that is your favorite band’s favorite band. A long-time fixture in the skate punk scene, Screeching Weasel has been cited as a significant influence by a metric load of bands that I grew up on– luminaries such as Blink-182, Green Day, New Found Glory, MxPx, Fall Out Boy,…
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The Movielife ‘This Time Next Year’ (2000)
Anyone familiar with emo and its various offshoots during the mid aughts can immediately recognize that distinctive Long Island sound– sugary sing-a-long pop hooks with a deliberate nod to the hardcore roots that dominated the scene in the mid-to-late 90’s. Bands like Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, and Glassjaw effectively defined that Long Island sound…
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Spiritworld ‘DEATHWESTERN’ (2022)
Spiritworld’s DEATHWESTERN is an apocalyptic deluge of distorted guitars set in a dystopian American West populated by blood-thirsty demons and tales baptized in blood. It’s thrash metal meets hardcore in the arid desert, a brutal and heavy affair that doesn’t let up on the gas pedal throughout its entire 36-minute runtime. If you’re looking for…
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Tiny Tim ‘God Bless Tiny Tim’ (1968)
Tiny Tim was primarily known as a novelty act during his lengthy musical career but actually possessed a significant knowledge of vintage American pop and vaudeville songs that helped define his prodigious artistic output. His most well-known album God Bless Tiny Tim featured his hit song “Tip Toe Thru’ The Tulips with Me” and earned…
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